One Challenge at a Time
by Callalilies
Summary: What happens when Kyoya meets someone he can finally call an equal? Does it lead beyond their business interactions? And what repercussions would that have on the Host Club? Rating for safety's sake, reviews are much appreciated!
1. Meet the Contestants

Kyoya flipped through the file one more time as the car sped toward the hospital. The patient, Hanajima Tezuka was the head of a corporation of several of the top companies in the Japanese entertainment and real estate industries. Her companies had prospered and eventually spread overseas. Unfortunately, the stately old woman was terminally ill, and while Ootori hospitals had kept her alive until now, she was expected to pass on within the next week or two.

Normally, no one from the family would be directly involved, but she had been in and out of Ootori hospitals for about eight years. Her companies currently worked to find land for the Ootori resorts and provided some of the key celebrity entertainment at the resorts. If the Ootoris did not want to suffer, the connection with the Tezuka Corporation would have to survive the president's death. Kyoya's father had decided that his youngest son would be sent to check on the woman and her family every afternoon for as long as was necessary to try to maintain the friendship.

Kyoya flipped the page. The next page of the report detailed the family's history. Mrs. Tezuka had had two children with her late husband. The older was her son, an executive in her corporation. He was currently asking the doctors to move his mother to a hospital closer to his estate so he would be able to visit without traveling far. The doctors were reluctant to do so, fearing that the move would only serve to abbreviate the woman's already short time left. Kyoya shook his head. There was no benefit to moving her. The man either cared enough to come to the hospital in her final days or he didn't. But according to the file, Kyoya wasn't the only one of this opinion.

The patient had also had a daughter. The young woman had eloped with a young banker from the United Kingdom. It was all over the society pages when it first happened about eighteen years ago. The banker had died in a car accident two years later, sending the young lady running back to her mother with her baby daughter in tow. According to the report in the file, the woman had remarried three years ago, moved to Spain with her new husband, and left her teenaged daughter with Mrs. Tezuka.

This young lady was the one objecting to her uncle's request that the patient be moved. She was also; Kyoya had been surprised to learn, the heir apparent to the corporation. He supposed this was one factor in his father's decision to send Kyoya to the family. The girl was seventeen, Kyoya's age. He frowned at the words "heir apparent" Some people had all the luck.

As they approached the hospital, Kyoya looked over the page on the heiress to refresh his memory. Not that it needed refreshing, but this girl was the one he had to make a good impression on to keep the connection alive and stay in his father's good graces.

Melanie Stuart. She went by the name Michiko Tezuka while in Japan. Of course she probably used her grandmother's last name to show her place in the corporation

The Rolls Royce finally arrived at the hospital and Kyoya tucked the file into the briefcase he'd brought along. There was no need to show that he'd been studying it on the way there. He passed the briefcase to Tachibana before walking confidently into the hospital.

Melanie Stuart sat next to her grandmother, obediently flipping through the reports and reading her the key parts. Her grandmother was a creature of habit. She'd gone through reports all through her lengthy infirmity and, as she had so seriously pointed out, had no idea what else she was supposed to do, even if she was in the last days of her life. Melanie was just grateful that they had something they were both interested in to take their minds off the immediate future.

"Here are the graphs for Uncle's accounts. It looks like we're going to have to have him drop this artist after all. Sales are down again and we'd agreed that he wasn't getting any better. Uncle seems to think that he'll make a comeback, and little though I want to demand that he do anything, I doubt it." She explained, spreading the booklet out on her grandmother's lap desk. The older woman nodded.

"Your Uncle thinks a lot of things. Some of them are quite ridiculous. Imagine, he thinks he can overrule us and the doctors to get me moved to be closer to him. I had hoped he'd grow up someday." She sighed, glancing up to see that her granddaughter's gaze had hardened. Good. She'd be ready when her fool of an uncle tried to take the company from her. She wouldn't let him destroy the family legacy. "Have you had a chance to look at the schools near the corporate headquarters?"

"Yes, ma'am. They all seem prestigious enough. Though I must say that I don't relish the idea of going to the same one as my darling cousin." Melanie said, putting the reports away in a satchel at her feet and pulling a stack of thin booklets out.

"Well, that rules out St. Lobelia's Academy, then." The patient said, taking one of the booklets and dropping it into the trashcan next to her bed. "I like the looks of this one. Ouran High School. A number of the children of our business associates go there. You'll have to ask the young man the Ootoris are sending about it when he arrives. He is a student there." She flipped idly through the glossy pamphlet. "Of course, you know that already."

"You don't think that attending the same school as our associates' children will be detrimental to their respect for me? It does emphasize my age." The young woman pointed out, pushing a lock of dark blonde hair out of her eyes. She'd inherited her father's European coloring with a little help from her grandfather's mixed blood. She did not respond to her grandmother's last statement.

"No, I think that it might at first, but when they see your competence it will only serve to impress them that you are as good as you are at running the corporation at such a young age. Besides which, a number of these children-" She was cut off by the quiet ringing of a cell phone on the bedside table. Melanie handed it to her and waited as she listened. A moment later, her grandmother hung up. "Well, you're about to see what I was going to say. Some of these young people are quite intelligent in their own rights. The young Master Ootori has arrived. He's on his way up."

Melanie nodded, taking the booklets from her grandmother and placing them neatly on the bedside table with the phone. This finished, she saw that her grandmother had already taken her pile of thank you cards out of the lap desk and resumed writing cards thanking families for the bouquets that they had sent to her. There was quite a stack, the room that they were sitting in was full of the things, and they were only the ones that had arrived at the hospital since the butler from the nearest of their estates had come three days ago to take the last batch. Melanie picked up the book that she'd been reading and they settled down to wait for the visitor coming.

When Kyoya reached the room he briefly remembered the last time he had seen the patient. He had to remind himself that she would not be the lively, friendly old woman that he had met four years ago. He had also met her daughter on that occasion. The granddaughter had been traveling with her school, so she was still an unknown quantity. Had he been someone else, he might have been anxious at meeting the heiress. But he was Kyoya. He was rarely anxious. He knocked gently on the closed door and opened it when he heard a voice from inside call to him to enter.

The patient was propped up on a pile of cushions leaning against the headboard of the bed. She had clearly just set aside some writing. Kyoya noticed how carefully her hair had been pinned up and how alert her eyes were. At first glance, it was very difficult to believe that she probably wouldn't live to see another few weeks.

"Hello, ma'am, miss. I'm Kyoya Ootori, pleased to make your acquaintance." He smiled. They were clearly going to considerable lengths to conceal the severity of the old woman's condition, even from those that knew of it. It was best to go along with the pretense as well as he could.

"Yes, Kyoya, we've met. This is my granddaughter, Michiko, this is Kyoya Ootori." The young woman stood up, walking forward to shake Kyoya's hand.

"A pleasure. My name is Melanie Stuart. I go by Michiko Tezuka when I'm in Japan, though. Please, take a seat." She greeted him, shaking his hand and looking him directly in the eye.

"I hope I haven't disturbed you two?" Kyoya asked, the picture of concern. The women shot sidelong glances at each other. Neither one particularly enjoyed going through the motions of the niceties that were so important to business, and it seemed that this encounter was going to be purely composed of them. Kyoya caught the look and realized he'd have to try another tack quickly.

"Oh no, of course not. I was just writing some notes and Michiko was just reading." The patient replied levelly. Kyoya was saved the necessity of trying to transition out of the pleasantries by a knock on the door behind him. A doctor came in a moment later.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, but there was a slight abnormality in Mrs. Tezuka's blood work. We would like to make sure it isn't anything to be worried about." The doctor apologized humbly. "It should only take about half an hour. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Kyoya stood to leave, repressing the sigh of relief that had swelled in his lungs. Michiko rose too.

"Michiko, you go get some coffee or tea. I'll see you when the doctors are done." Her grandmother instructed, casting a surreptitious glance at the booklets detailing the schools that they were considering. The indication was understood and Michiko gathered them into her satchel before heading to the door.

"I'll return later to check on you, Mrs. Tezuka. I'm sorry our visit was interrupted." Kyoya bid the woman a careful farewell before following her heiress from the room. "You drink coffee?" He asked pleasantly, falling in stride with her as they walked toward the elevators.

"My grandmother drinks it more than I do. She acquired the taste from my mother when she lived with us. I prefer tea because it's healthier, but I do drink coffee on occasion for the caffeine." She replied simply, carefully not betraying any emotion at the mention of her errant mother.

"That seems like sound logic. Do you mind if I accompany you? I have very little to do while I wait to visit your grandmother again."

"On the contrary, I'm sure you have quite a lot that you are supposed to be doing while you wait." She glanced up at him with an almost teasing smile. "But no, I don't mind. As a matter of fact, I have something my grandmother suggested that I ask you about." She finished as they walked into the elevator.

_Did she mean to insinuate that what I mean to accomplish while waiting is what I was sent to do? That seems a little too observant, but she _is _Hanajima Tezuka's granddaughter. Nonetheless, that would be a bold insinuation. Perhaps she's merely reckless. _Kyoya thought as they rode smoothly down to ground floor. His companion occupied herself by placing a cell phone call ordering that her car be brought to the front of the hospital.

"Tachibana will bring my car around in a moment. The café isn't far." She announced, terminating her call as they stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. Caught off guard, Kyoya looked around for his bodyguard. Why would _he_ be bringing _her_ car to the front of the hospital? Much to the young man's chagrin, Michiko caught him.

"Isn't it coincidental that my grandmother employs your bodyguard's cousin?" She asked smilingly.

_She planned that. Why did I fall for it?_ Kyoya mentally kicked himself for a second before answering. "Yes, it is a rather unique coincidence." _How did she know about that connection, let alone the fact that Tachibana was on my team of bodyguards?_

Kyoya's reverie was interrupted when Michiko indicated the car pulling up in front of the glass doors and they walked out to gleaming white car. His companion handed her bag over to a guard and walked around to the other side of the car. Once inside the car, she began giving directions.

"Tachibana, we're going to great aunt's café." Kyoya caught the slight upward turn at the corners of her lips when she addressed Tachibana. That confirmed it, she had planned her comment earlier. Loath though he was to admit it, it would appear that he had underestimated this girl. _This could be interesting._ Kyoya thought, already relishing the challenge. If only he'd known what a challenge it would prove to be.

----

This is my first Ouran fic. Kyoya is definitely my favorite character. I hope you enjoy this fic. It's going to be ongoing, so don't worry, the other members will turn up eventually. Maybe in the third chapter?


	2. An Initial Challenge

I'm back! I want to thank everyone that favorited and alerted this fic, I'm so happy that you decided to! I promise that it'll get more interesting. I have a tendency to allow fics to start out slowly, I'm working on changing that in my next fic.

Soooo... on with the story!

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"Your great aunt owns a café in the area?" Kyoya asked, trying to remember any passing mention he might have read about the owner of this café.

"No, but she insists that I call her my great aunt. I think she believes it creates the illusion of an intimacy that does not exist that will strengthen the tie between her small chain of cafes and my family's company." Michiko replied, smiling at her own blunt comment. "It serves the company to humor her for the moment, though."

They pulled up at the café a few minutes later. They entered a tastefully decorated lobby and a plump, middle-aged woman hurried in from an office to greet them.

"Oh, Michiko dear! I'm so glad you decided to drop by. I was ever so upset when I heard that your grandmother had taken ill several days ago. Well, more ill than usual, that is. But imagine my surprise to have to hear of it from one of the Ootori nurses only today? I told her I was certain it would be all right, and that I was sure I'd be receiving some letter or call from you soon, that you must have just gotten too overwhelmed and hadn't had the heart to call. I was just telling my son, I was going to come down to the hospital if you didn't contact me by tomorrow. But here you are! And who's your friend?" The woman chattered on, thoroughly irritating the teenagers almost as soon as she opened her mouth. Michiko smiled politely at her.

"Thank you for your concern, great aunt. You're right, I have just been so overwhelmed. I thought I'd come down and tell you personally, but you've already heard. This is Kyoya Ootori. I'm sure you've heard of his family. His father owns the hospital." Kyoya bowed politely to the woman, making a mental note that Michiko's acting was good despite the fact that she clearly abhorred it.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you, young man. Please, follow me upstairs, you two. I have a lovely table ready for you." She began leading them up the stairs, but that did not slow her speaking. "I've never been fortunate enough to meet any of your family when they've been in town. I don't suppose you have much time to go to cafes with running all of those hospitals and medical equipment companies. You're the youngest of the boys, aren't you? I've heard so much about all of you from my guests. They all rave about you boys. Ah, here we are. Here's your table. Just shout if you need me, Michiko. See you children later!" To the pair's relief, the woman excused herself, not even waiting for them to say goodbye.

Kyoya pulled a seat out for Michiko before seating himself and surveying the parlor. His eyes fell on the large photograph prominently displayed next to their table, which was conveniently placed at the end of the room furthest from the elegant staircase. It showed a young man who bore a striking resemblance to the woman that had just left them and an equally young woman. He recognized her as the eldest daughter of a man that ran a major clothing company, on of the Hitachiin's competitors.

"Great aunt likes to put the guests that she's most proud of on display here, I apologize for all of the fuss she made." Michiko said, looking down at the menu. She glanced up and saw what he was looking at. "I see you've found my reason for humoring her, not that she makes it particularly difficult. That's her son. He's engaged to the young woman, who is the daughter of one of our supporters. It won't last long though."

"Oh really? I hadn't heard of any problems with that girl's engagement. Do you have any recommendations on what to order?"

"Yes. I prefer her mint tea and the scones. The mint is one tea that is not half sugar. The same is true of the scones." Kyoya appreciated her comment more than she knew. He wasn't fond of sweet things. But then again, after the Tachibana comment, he wasn't convinced that she wouldn't know about his food preferences. "As for the engagement, I'm not surprised you haven't heard. She doesn't know it yet, but he's cheating on her. With the wife of one of her father's company's main competitors. That company is not one of our constituents."

"Thank you for your recommendations. They sound quite good. How do you know about all of this before the poor young fiancé?" He was surprised, but kept his composure. This girl seemed to know an awful lot about the other families involved in her companies' businesses. And the way she dispensed this information seemed more calculated than the manner of the gossiping girls that sometimes frequented the Host Club.

The young woman raised an eyebrow. "I have my ways. A girl has to keep her secrets, ne?" she rejoined. _Interesting._ It was looking increasingly likely that she actually had known about his propensity against things that were exceedingly sweet.

"Very well. I'll leave you your secrets. But you did mention a question that you had for me. You don't expect to keep that a secret as well, do you?" Kyoya asked as a waiter came over to take their orders.

"Hello, Miss Tezuka, Master Ootori. Will you have the Irish Breakfast or mint tea today, miss?" The waiter looked like he wanted to go kick himself. He clearly knew that he had just entered at a very awkward moment in their conversation.

"I'll have the mint tea and scones today, thank you." She answered, looking a little sympathetic. Kyoya spoke up when the waiter turned to him.

"I'll have the same, please." The waiter nodded and hurried away.

Michiko shook her head at his retreating back. "I'm sorry. As I was saying, because I will be assuming the responsibilities of the head of my family's companies, I need to move to the family's estate nearest to our headquarters. This means that I will not be able to return to my school when it begins again. I am considering several schools in the vicinity." Michiko spread her pamphlets out on the table for Kyoya to review. "As you can see, one of my options is Ouran High School. My grandmother suggested that I ask for your opinion of the school." Kyoya picked up Ouran's literature and began thumbing through it.

"What are you looking for in a school? Are you concerned about academics or some other aspect?" He asked, idly flipping to the section of the booklet that detailed the school's extracurricular activities and clubs.

The girl sipped her tea thoughtfully. "My main concern is academics. My last school tried to keep all of the students working at the same pace, which slowed some students down considerably. Ouran's overall reputation seems good enough." Michiko replied as she took a scone from the dish and began breaking it into pieces. She seemed a bit irritated by her last school's shortcomings.

Kyoya considered for a moment and decided that she would almost certainly be in class 2-A at Ouran. Her lineage was good, the Tezuka group was quite wealthy, she was a good student, and she would be the president of her company. She certainly fit the criteria for class A. "I've found that the school makes the proper allowances to separate the wheat from the chaff in that regard." He assured her, scanning down the list of clubs. "Students' grades are taken into consideration when the classes are determined. I take it that you were one of the students slowed down by the others at your last school?"

Michiko nodded as she mulled the information over. "Yes, I was. I had no trouble staying at the head of the class. I'd prefer more of a challenge from my next school." She picked up another pamphlet and glanced at some of the statistics disdainfully.

Kyoya appeared to weigh the advisability of his next comment quickly before deciding to go on with it. "Well, I don't think you'd have that problem at Ouran. You're a second year, correct?" He smirked a little when the girl nodded. "Then you'll have to vie with me for the top of the class."

She smiled for a moment. It struck Kyoya that it was probably the first time she had genuinely smiled since he had arrived. "The challenge I wanted, right? Well, we shall see what happens, but that looks quite possible. Some of these schools look like they don't really concern themselves with academics." She said, gesturing at the other pamphlets with the one in her hand.

"I would be happy to take you on a tour sometime later this week if you feel comfortable leaving your grandmother for a few hours. I know the chairman's son, so I imagine we can get much of the school opened. That's another thing that I like about Ouran: it is a wonderful source of connections. And the extracurricular activities" he looked down at the description of the Host Club in the pamphlet, "are exceptional as well."

It seemed to Michiko that Kyoya was being sincere in his praise of the school. And the little time she'd spent with him had already told her that that praise was not given lightly. "I would like to visit the school if my grandmother agrees. The fact that the school is well connected certainly does not hurt it. I do not think however, that my schedule will allow for many extracurricular activities. If I were too absent from the companies my uncle would likely try to wrest control from me."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. I have heard that he is not pleased with being passed over for the position. But I imagine you'll find some time with which to grace a club or two." Michiko opened her mouth to retort to the remark, but stopped when she heard a faint buzzing emitting from her bag. She reached down and drew out a slim cell phone.

"Excuse me." She stood up, took a few steps from the table, and answered the phone. "Hello?" "When?" "Is that so?" Kyoya saw her face darken slightly. Something had happened. "I'm leaving now." She hung up the phone and returned to the table. "My uncle left his estate half an hour from here. It seems he has decided to make a visit to the hospital without informing us beforehand. I need to return right away."

"Well then, let's get back." Kyoya stood, fishing in his pocket for his wallet. "Can we pay downstairs?"

"Yes." She replied as she gathered her belongings. The girl looked determined, but honestly a little worried. They abandoned the finished tea and walked downstairs. Michiko's "great aunt" bustled out of her office when she saw them coming.

"Oh, you two are leaving so soon? I'm sorry to see you go. I hope you'll tell your grandmother that I'm sorry she's not well Michiko. She's such a kind woman. And Master Ootori, I hope that you'll come back with the rest of your family. It's been a pleasure meeting you." Her one sided conversation did not slow as they passed her their credit cards to pay for the tea. She seemed not to notice Michiko's barely concealed agitation. It was a testament to how concerned the younger girl was that she did not have a pleasant answer to the older's railing ready. "And please thank Minako for telling me about dear Hanajima's infirmity. It was so kind of her to think that I might not have heard." The pair reclaimed their credit cards from her gesturing hands. Kyoya made a mental note to have the manager of the hospital give the nurse a stern lecture on not gossiping about patients. "Of course, I don't know why she would-"

"Thank you so much, ma'am. But we have some business to attend to, so Miss Tezuka and I really have to be going now. I'll be sure to give Minako your message." Kyoya cut smoothly across the woman's incessant chatter and excused them. This done, Michiko bade her "great aunt" a "fond" farewell before hastening out to the waiting car.

Once they were safely inside the car, Kyoya began asking careful questions. "Why would your uncle want to come without informing you more than half an hour beforehand?"

Michiko shook her head as she pulled a compact from the bag in her lap. "He didn't mean to inform us at all. That was one of the maids at his estate. She said that when she arrived someone told her that he had gone to the hospital, so she called me."

A frown crossed Kyoya's face. "He means to catch you unawares? What could he possibly gain by doing that?" He was concerned. He'd thought that he would have more time to form an opinion of the young heiress and decide whether to align the Ootori Group with her or with her uncle. It was quickly becoming clear that the decision would have to be made much sooner than he'd anticipated.

"I'm sure he hopes to get there at some point that I am not there. He means to try to persuade the doctors to move my grandmother and to convince her not to entrust the companies to me." Michiko dabbed a little concealer on the faint dark spots below her eyes. "She won't be swayed, but I don't want him to harass her." She pulled the cell phone out again to call her grandmother. She quickly confirmed that her grandmother had received the message as well before hanging up.

As they pulled into the hospital, the phone in Michiko's hand rang again. She glanced down to see the text message sprawling across the screen. "They're here." She stated, putting the phone into her bag. A moment later, they pulled up to the doors and climbed out of the car.

As Kyoya walked into the lobby, he looked around to see if he could catch sight of the jaded businessman. He didn't have to look long. A shrill exclamation came from the direction of the elevators and he saw a teenaged girl fling her arms out to stop the doors from closing. Behind her stood a small group of middle aged businesspeople.

Michiko's cousin rushed from the elevator and hugged her. "_Michi_! You're here! We thought you would be up with Grandma. Come on up with us!" She fairly yelled into the older girl's ear as she dragged her to the elevator. Kyoya followed along in their wake.

As they reached the waiting elevator, a short, thin man frowned at the other two adults. "See? This is what I mean. Her grandmother's on her deathbed and the girl's out on a date. How irresponsible! Just like her mother, I always said." He did not trouble himself to keep his voice down. The other man nodded, staring at the pair being led into the spacious elevator. The woman surveyed them, her expression carefully kept blank.

Kyoya turned to see Michiko looking unaffected. She smiled politely and greeted the man. "Uncle! What an unexpected surprise. Please allow me to introduce Kyoya Ootori. His father owns the hospital. He came to visit grandmother and she suggested that we go talk about schools while she had some tests done." Kyoya greeted the man as the doors slid shut and they began moving.

The cousin gazed up at the young man. "Introduce me, Michi! Introduce me to your friend." She ordered in an undertone that nonetheless could be heard throughout the elevator.

Michiko closed her eyes for a moment as though asking for patience before smiling and proceeding. "Kyoya Ootori, please meet my cousin, Yuuta Tezuka. She is in first year at St. Lobelia's."

"Are you in second year like my cousin? Where do you go to school?" Yuuta queried, still staring a little. She ignored the quiet, irritated noises coming from her father.

Kyoya sighed inwardly. He could not afford to be rude to her, especially in front of her father, but it would take a great deal of self-discipline. "I am a second year at Ouran High School. But I have been fortunate enough to go to your school to see your Zuka Club perform."

The comment had the desired effect, sending the young girl into a frenzy of talking about the club. It left him free to listen to the executive of the Tezuka group as he began speaking in a dangerously low voice. "I thought we had agreed that you would attend St. Lobelia's with your cousin. I've already sent in your registration." Kyoya turned slightly to look at the heiress out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh yes, I heard that you had sent my registration in. But I informed them that there must have been a miscommunication, because I did not intend to attend their esteemed academy. I apologized profusely for the mistake." Michiko responded.

Her uncle raised a hand. Kyoya turned quickly as the hand swept through the air. The slap resounded through the deathly quiet elevator. Michiko blinked rapidly to clear the reflex triggered tears. "Never contradict me again, you stuck up little brat." Her uncle hissed as the doors opened onto the seventh floor.

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I'm trying to write more varied characters. Michiko's uncle is a new type for me, I hope my depiction works out. This fic in general is going to be a challenge because there are so many different types of characters.

Please, if you have any feedback, review! I understand not doing so if you have nothing to say, I'm guilty of that, but certainly _someone_ has something to say. Even if it's that my writing is pathetic, it's nice to see someone has an opinion!


	3. Complications

Hey! Thank you so much to my two great reviewers! I took your suggestions and used them here. I don't like the flow in this chapter as much, but I hope you'll enjoy it none the less!

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Michiko's uncle raised a hand. Kyoya turned quickly as it swept through the air. The slap resounded through the deathly quiet elevator. Michiko blinked rapidly to clear the reflex triggered tears. "Never contradict me again, you stuck up little brat." Her uncle hissed as the doors opened onto the seventh floor.

He shoved his way out of the elevator first, followed closely by the businesspeople and his daughter. The youngest Ootori walked toward Michiko. When she saw him approaching she just shook her head and walked out of the elevator. Kyoya had to hurry after her to avoid being shut in the elevator when the doors closed.

"Please go ahead." She said, once they were out in the corridor. When he stopped to look at her, her compact was once again out. This time she was dabbing concealer on the angry red mark across her lower jaw. Her uncle had clearly missed hitting her cheek

Frowning slightly, Kyoya entered the hospital room. The executive was already sitting in Michiko's abandoned chair, speaking to his mother. "Please, consider it! If you move, I can come visit you and run the corporation at the same time. I know you wouldn't want me to neglect my duties."

His mother shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you heard the doctors. It would be dangerous for me to move." She paused and looked at him firmly. "And you needn't worry about running the corporation; Michiko and I have been doing that quite well despite my infirmity. Thank you for your concern though."

"Mother, you know I would never doubt your judgement without a very good reason, but I don't think that having Michiko help you is a very good idea. Perhaps your illness has confused you. No one will respect a teenager. Even our own board has some reservations." He argued, gesturing to the woman behind him, who nodded tersely.

The patient looked over at the her coolly. After a moment, the woman looked away. "I assure you that I am not confused, as you so kindly put it. I can still count, at the very least. You have brought one of fifteen members of the board. Do any of the others share Ms. Sherman's opinions?" The executive quailed slightly. He didn't have any other solid supporters on the board. The others had fewer doubts in the young heiress, provided she could maintain the proper connections.

Kyoya was not able to stay to listen in on the rest of the disagreement, because at that moment, his phone buzzed slightly in his coat pocket. He quickly excused himself and walked out into the hall to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Have you declared which of the Tezukas we will be supporting?" His father asked without preamble.

"No sir. But I've formed my opinion." In an undertone, he began to describe the events since his arrival before his father cut him off.

"I have just received a phone call from the office of one of their board members saying that they intend to place Shino Tezuka in the position of president. You are to make sure that you make a good impression on him, not the girl. Allow him to move his mother if he insists, even." Kyoya could hardly believe what his father was saying.

Quiet, steady footsteps filled the silence in the hall as Kyoya struggled to word his response. "I had gotten the impression from this meeting that only one of the board members is truly concerned about the granddaughter's ability. But that indicates otherwise. I'll take care of it."

His father hung up abruptly at hearing this, leaving Kyoya holding his phone as Michiko approached. He nodded politely and allowed her to precede him into the room.

Shino Tezuka turned around when he heard the pair enter the room. "Perhaps our guest can settle part of this, mother. Young man, what do you think about my mother moving to one of your other hospitals closer to my office? Do you think it can be arranged?"

Kyoya looked between mother and son for a moment. Something about the man's knowing smile made him wary, but he had his orders. "It can certainly be arranged if that is what your family decides upon." He answered carefully. He felt his eyes narrow behind their glasses. He had considerable experience in seeing people manipulate each other, and could sense that in this case he himself was the puppet. It was not a situation in which he was particularly comfortable.

"That is what I want. And because my mother has clearly begun to lose her mental capacities to her illness, I have become the person to make her decisions for her. The judge here was kind enough to bring an order declaring me her guardian himself. Please see to the arrangements." Mr. Tezuka gestured to the man, who handed Kyoya an official looking document. Kyoya realized with a mild sense of surprise that the man was not, as he had believed, a businessman, but a judge whom the executive clearly had some considerable influence over.

He glanced over at Michiko and her grandmother. Both looked composed, but all of the color had drained from the girl's face. The concealer was suddenly as obvious as the mark had been. "I will speak to the manager about the preparations." Kyoya agreed before excusing himself. He carefully avoided looking at the two women as he made his way to the door.

Kyoya halted when he heard Michiko speak behind him. "Wait. Sir, I would like to contest this. When did my grandmother see a psychiatrist? I would like to meet the doctor and review his findings before my grandmother is removed." She was standing now, and her face had regained its color.

The judge smiled condescendingly at her. "Well, my dear, you can certainly call your lawyers to petition my order, but until another judge agrees that your grandmother is in good mental health, your uncle will retain his responsibility as her guardian. That is how an order of such urgency is dealt with." Kyoya spotted the executive's pointed look at the end of the short explanation, and left the room obediently to find the hospital's manager.

Michiko bit back a snide response. _I am not "your dear", sir. I'm afraid I must observe that you're very bold for a kept judge. _She wisely opted for a far more polite answer to the man's condescension. "Thank you, sir. I will get in touch with our attorneys immediately."

The Ootori hospital staff was nothing if not efficient. They had quickly begun putting together the files that the next hospital would need and called in the helicopter. Half an hour later, the group stood on the roof of the building after bringing Hanajima Tezuka to the helipad.

Her granddaughter had called their head attorney, but he had informed her that there was no way he could get the petition approved in less than half an hour. And getting it done after that would be pointless, because all that moving Mrs. Tezuka back to her current hospital would achieve would be to wear her out further and thus endanger her life to an even greater extent. So Michiko stood and watched as her grandmother was loaded onto the helicopter.

Once the chopper had departed, Mr. Tezuka insisted that they return to the room so he could pick up his mother's things. Michiko carefully helped him pack them; reluctantly handing over the financial reports that her grandmother had kept near her at all times. A scant ten minutes later, Mr. Tezuka and his companions were on their way to the lobby in the elevator. Michiko had lingered in the room to avoid the elevator ride with them.

She stood in the empty room for a moment before she heard someone enter behind her. Turning around, she saw that Kyoya was standing in the doorway. The look on his face was vaguely apologetic. But only vaguely. It didn't suit him, she decided.

"I'm sorry, I was just on my way out." She explained, picking her bag up.

Kyoya nodded briefly and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I just came to look for you. I hope I can still convince you to let me show you around Ouran sometime." His father had instructed him to favor the uncle. He had not forbidden him to continue to pay attention to the candidate he thought to be more promising.

Michiko looked over at him as they walked down the hall to the elevators. "Of course. I wouldn't hold a grudge against you for following your father's orders. And I cannot allow this to bias me against a good school." Kyoya began to speak; it was now clear that she had heard some of his conversation, but was once again cut off by his cell phone. It seemed he was popular that day.

"Excuse me." He stepped aside to answer the phone. "Hello?"

He cringed when the caller's voice came through. Michiko could tell why. She could hear the excited shouting from where she stood. "Kyoya! I have a wonderful idea for a theme for next time we're in school. Wait until you hear it, our daughter will look so cute in her costume! I'll have to keep those terrible twins away. You should come here so I can show you the book I found!"

"Tamaki. I'm a little busy at the moment. Can I call you back?" Kyoya asked. He was desperately fighting the impulse to close the phone right then. Michiko looked thoroughly amused at what she could hear. And even though he had made sure the phone wasn't on speaker, he was reasonably sure she could hear everything.

Tamaki clearly either did not understand or did not care that Kyoya wanted to end the call immediately. "Of course, of course. So when can you come over? I am dying to show you this idea! I have to call the twins so their mother can design our costumes soon! And they'll be fairly elaborate so-" Kyoya snapped the phone shut, glasses flashing. Tamaki _had _said that he could call back, after all.

Returning to where Michiko stood to continue down the hall, Kyoya hoped not to have to answer any questions. Unfortunately for him, he was met with a slight smile and a raised eyebrow. She clearly wasn't going to let him off that easily. "A classmate of mine, Tamaki Suou. He is a bit eccentric." Kyoya explained. Michiko laughed at his grimace when he heard the phone go off again.

"A bit?" She asked. Kyoya looked frustratedly down at the caller identification display before opening the phone. Tamaki's voice leapt from the speaker for a moment before Kyoya pressed the power button. "He's the son of Ouran's chairman, right?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up again as they reached the elevator. "Yes, he is the chairman's son. I'll speak to him about opening the school for a tour, but he may insist on coming. Would you mind?" Michiko shrugged.

"Not really. He sounds like he'd be an interesting person to meet." The elevator arrived and she got in. "Just call me when you know when you can do it."

"Of course. It was nice to meet you." He responded. She pressed the door hold button for a moment to return the sentiment before allowing the doors to slide shut and the elevator to descend.

Only when she was safely ensconced in her room back at the mansion she'd lived in with her grandmother did Michiko let worry and frustration come over her features and tears well up in her eyes. Even then, she blinked the tears back after a few minutes.

After her initial display of despair, she sat down to begin regarding the possible repercussions of the day's events, and how best to combat them. She recognized that there was very little that she could do now, but helplessness would get her nowhere.

---Four days later---

Kyoya got off the phone with Michiko as the car pulled up in front of the second Suou mansion. He had just called to confirm that she could come to visit Ouran the next day. And all thanks to the young man bounding through the doors of the mansion.

"Kyoya! Come in, come in! You finally came! I wanted to tell you about this theme! I found this wonderful book, someone must have dropped it into my bag accidentally. Have you heard about this magic fad that's so popular with commoners these days? I looked online, and it seems like it really took off with this one series-" Kyoya tuned Tamaki out for a while.

Of course, he knew what he was talking about. How else could the book really get into Tamaki's bag? Kyoya nodded to Tamaki's housekeeper, Shima Maezono, who smiled approvingly. He had the rare talent for staying in the old woman's good graces.

Tamaki led him into a comfortable living room. He ran across the room to grab the book and wave it at his friend. "So what do you think?" he asked excitedly.

Kyoya looked at the book. "It's plausible if we can find a way to simulate some sort of magic. I suppose I can get some magnesium sulfate, potassium, strontium, calcium, and copper chlorides for colored flames. Plaster of paris is said to have a nice effect too." Tamaki looked at him elatedly.

"Then we can do it! I'm going to call the twins later today and then I can go visit them tomorrow to talk about costumes! You should come with me!" The boy danced around happily, leaving Kyoya to feel a little embarrassed to be around him.

He wasn't too upset to have an excuse not to go. "I'm sorry, Tamaki. I have to take Michiko Tezuka on a tour of the school tomorrow, remember?"

The half-Frenchman stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, Mother, I'm so sorry I forgot! I shall, of course, come with you to show the princess our esteemed institution!" Kyoya very nearly commented that Tamaki made it sound like the school was some sort of insane asylum. After a moment of reflection on his peers however, he opted not to argue. Some days he wondered how he'd found himself in a school with so many strange students.

Tamaki took the book back and began flipping through the pages for more ideas. Kyoya opened his notebook to write down the chemicals he would need for their latest endeavor. "There's really no need for you to go any further out of your way, you know."

Tamaki looked up from the book. "My grandmother would be most pleased if a Tezuka were to attend the school." When he glanced at his friend, Kyoya was surprised to see a rare, partly hopeful, partly serious look in his eyes. After a moment though, it was gone. "And after all, mon ami, we must do our best to make the young lady feel welcome. Otherwise, how could we call ourselves hosts? It is our mission-" Tamaki faltered in the middle of his typical speech when Kyoya's phone rang.

The "king" of the Host Club returned to his book dejectedly while his best friend conversed seriously with the person at the other end of the line. He looked up when he heard the phone close. Kyoya looked surprised, and not pleasantly so. Tamaki tilted his head questioningly. That look was never, _ever _good.

The black haired youth looked over at his friend. "The Tezuka Group's board of directors has opted to place Shino Tezuka in the position of president upon his mother's death. They cited an inability on his niece's part to maintain the connections her grandmother built up." He reported in a monotone.

Tamaki shook his head. Now Kyoya was going to blame himself. He'd never _tell_ anyone about it, but he would. The blond was certain that his friend was irritated with himself for being the one who had had to favor the girl's uncle. Kyoya hadn't said it, but they both knew which connection the board had been concerned about.

"I have to go tell my father about this. I'll see you tomorrow." Kyoya stood and his friend followed him out. As he watched his friend's car drive off, Tamaki resolved to make sure that the next day's tour went as well as possible in an effort to cheer him up.


	4. Tour Madness

I am SO sorry to each and every person who was so great about reviewing and subscribing to this story! It has been far, far too long. I must admit, I was massively discouraged by one or two things, and was hit by writer's block. I know it's no excuse, but what else can I say?

Thanks for reading, I promise I won't disappear like that again.

--RECAP—(I know you won't remember what this story is about…)----

He wasn't too upset to have an excuse not to go. "I'm sorry, Tamaki. I have to take Michiko Tezuka on a tour of the school tomorrow, remember?"

The half-Frenchman stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, Mother, I'm so sorry I forgot! I shall, of course, come with you to show the princess our esteemed institution!" Kyoya very nearly commented that Tamaki made it sound like the school was some sort of insane asylum. After a moment of reflection on his peers however, he opted not to argue. Some days he wondered how he'd found himself in a school with so many strange students.

Tamaki took the book back and began flipping through the pages for more ideas. Kyoya opened his notebook to write down the chemicals he would need for their latest endeavor. "There's really no need for you to go any further out of your way, you know."

Tamaki looked up from the book. "My grandmother would be most pleased if a Tezuka were to attend the school." When he glanced at his friend, Kyoya was surprised to see a rare, partly hopeful, partly serious look in his eyes. After a moment though, it was gone. "And after all, mon ami, we must do our best to make the young lady feel welcome. Otherwise, how could we call ourselves hosts? It is our mission-" Tamaki faltered in the middle of his typical speech when Kyoya's phone rang.

The "king" of the Host Club returned to his book dejectedly while his best friend conversed seriously with the person at the other end of the line. He looked up when he heard the phone close. Kyoya looked surprised, and not pleasantly so. Tamaki tilted his head questioningly. That look was never, _ever _good.

The black haired youth looked over at his friend. "The Tezuka Group's board of directors has opted to place Shino Tezuka in the position of president upon his mother's death. They cited an inability on his niece's part to maintain the connections her grandmother built up." He reported in a monotone.

Tamaki shook his head. Now Kyoya was going to blame himself. He'd never _tell_ anyone about it, but he would. The blond was certain that his friend was irritated with himself for being the one who had had to favor the girl's uncle. Kyoya hadn't said it, but they both knew which connection the board had been concerned about.

"I have to go tell my father about this. I'll see you tomorrow." Kyoya stood and his friend followed him out. As he watched his friend's car drive off, Tamaki resolved to make sure that the next day's tour went as well as possible in an effort to cheer him up.

--End Recap-----

The next afternoon, Kyoya stood outside the front of the school and glared at his blond friend. Try as he might, he hadn't been able to convince him not to go through with his plan. Now he was waiting for Michiko and trying valiantly to keep from murdering the wild twins, childish senior, and irate commoner that were chattering around him. _Why did that idiot call them here? They'll more likely chase her away than convince her to come to the school._ He tried to ignore the arguing about whether Haruhi should have worn girls' clothing to the tour or not (she hadn't), but found that he was having trouble concentrating on his notebook. _She shouldn't have come at all, moron._

He almost groaned aloud when he saw the car pull up. Their guest stepped out of the back, looking a little surprised at the crowd waiting for her. Kyoya stepped forward sedately to introduce her to the others (and apologize for their collective presence), but Tamaki beat him to her.

The blond boy was down on one knee before the young woman, obviously in full host mode. "Princess Michiko! We are your guides today on your tour of this fine place of learning and socialization!" He handed her a white rose with a flourish as he stood up.

She glanced over his head as he did so, eyes finding her main acquaintance in the group. She arched an eyebrow at him before Tamaki obscured her view and she smiled politely. "It's very nice to meet you, Tamaki Suou." Tamaki smiled back brightly.

The air around him fairly sparkled as he spoke. "Kyoya has told you about me! I'm honored, princess. I am sure he told you that I am the king of the Host Club, then. Allow me to introduce my subjects-" Tamaki placed an arm around her shoulders as he swept around to indicate each of his friends.

Michiko looked for a moment like she was trying to remember what she had heard about the Host Club behind her glasses. These, Kyoya noted were new since he had last seen her. She was also using them to great effect by glaring sharply over them at the "king" next to her, clearly wishing to be released. Too bad he wasn't looking.

Tamaki fell over when the twins spoke up before he could continue. His arm slung around the girl's shoulders was the only thing that kept him from slumping right to the floor. "We're the Hitachiins! I'm Kaoru."

"And I'm Hikaru! We've met before, when you were meeting with our mother." Hikaru chimed, ignoring the fact that the person he was introducing himself to was struggling to support Tamaki, who didn't seem to have the will to hold himself up.

It didn't take long for Mori to come over and take the deadweight from Michiko. She nodded a greeting to the twins as she rubbed her neck.

Hunny bounced up next. "I'm Hunny, I'm the cute type! And that's Mori, he's the stoic type. The twins are wild types. Tama is the prince type when he's not moping. I'll show you!" He scurried off to offer Tamaki his Bun-Bun before Michiko could reply.

She looked a little taken aback as her gaze shifted to Kyoya. "This is Haruhi. He's our natural type." He introduced her. Michiko looked sharply at Kyoya and then at the girl incredulously.

Yes, she was wearing boys' clothing, but she was definitely female. "'He?'" she asked, clearly very skeptical.

Haruhi was surprised. Few people had realized her secret so quickly, though part of her did hope that it would be at least a little obvious... Kyoya looked automatically over at the other club members, now all trying to coax Tamaki back to some semblance of normalcy. It was clear by the distinct lack of overprotective males around Haruhi that none of them had heard.

He took a few steps toward the querying blonde and spoke more quietly. "That is what most of the school believes. The Host Club knows, of course, but we keep it secret. It would be highly detrimental to the club if someone were to find out that one of our hosts is female."

The visitor looked silently between the two serious faces before responding. "So what type are you?" They all took it as a silent agreement to keep the secret. Kyoya didn't answer right away, so Haruhi answered for him.

"They call him the 'cool type'. He's the club's 'Shadow King'." She explained genuinely. The older students looked at her unbelievingly for a second. One stunned at her tenacity, the other by the interesting name.

Michiko regarded the young man for a moment, deciding that the nickname was exceptionally apt, before turning to the group still surrounding the "king". "Do you suppose they'll be ready to go any time soon?"

Haruhi and Kyoya turned to look at the group. Fond as they'd each grown of Tamaki and the others, they harbored no delusions about their sanity. The response to Michiko's question was a pair of silently shaking heads.

"Then, would you two mind starting the tour now? My grandmother's condition has begun deteriorating since yesterday." While the younger girl did not understand the significance of the day before, it was clear to Kyoya that the Tezuka Group board's announcement had affected their president's health.

"Of course." The young man answered for them both before setting off for the main building. The girls followed, Michiko glancing mildly over her shoulder at the chaos they were leaving.

She turned to her guide as the younger student fell behind and they entered the building. "So, what is the Host Club and why _are_ a number of the members here?"

The "shadow king" cleared his throat experimentally. He had the worrisome sense that this particular teenage girl would not be impressed by the existence of the club. "It is a club that Tamaki started last year. Its purpose is to…" he paused, causing Haruhi to look up. Kyoya_ never _faltered like he was starting to. Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to explain the club, Haruhi fell into step with them and picked up where he'd left off. The older girl nodded as she listened interestedly.

Relief washed over Kyoya as Haruhi wrapped up her explanation. Michiko had clearly not been terribly offended by the idea. In fact, she looked a little impressed.

"That's original. I don't imagine your families fund it?" She queried judiciously. The club's vice-president very nearly sighed in relief at her question. _This_ he could talk about with authority.

"No, they certainly don't." Kyoya smiled a little ironically. Really, the idea of his father funding the club was ludicrous. "We auction off items that once belonged to hosts and sell pictures, calendars, and the like. Our profits are minimal due to our president's extravagance, but we keep out of the red."

Michiko opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a resounding call come from the ground floor. "Kyoya! Haruhi! Where are you? Twins! Go find your mother and your sister! Mori, Hunny, make sure they behave!"

The stranger to Tamaki's nicknames looked bemusedly over the railing of the stairs at the group running down the hallway. Her primary tour guide took a few deep, supposedly calming breaths before turning to Haruhi. "Tell them we've gone to the pool on the other roof or something, will you?"

Once Haruhi had vanished down the stairs after their pursuers, Kyoya turned to his guest with a long-suffering look. "I apologize. What were you going to say?"

Michiko shook her head. "Nothing of great import."

They continued at a leisurely pace while Kyoya did his utmost to present an interesting and informing tour. Despite his efforts, he couldn't help but notice that the prospective student didn't seem as spirited as she had the last time they'd met.

They eventually made their way to the uppermost floors of the South Building, in spite of a few detours they'd had to take to avoid a rather loud search party. The last stop on the tour was the Third Music Room.

As they walked in, they triggered the silent fall of rose petals that the club rigged for "normal days". Michiko looked up in slight surprise before surveying the room. Her guide glanced down at his watch. He had arranged for her to meet the chairman at three, which left them about half an hour to get to his office. _I suppose there's no better place to wait than here._

He took a seat at one of the tables scattered around the room and pulled out his laptop. "We're going to wait here until it's time to meet with Chairman Suou, if that's alright with you." He continued when she nodded from where she stood near the piano. "Did you have any questions about the school while we wait?"

"Oh no, thank you. You were very thorough." Kyoya returned to looking at his computer screen. He shouldn't be doing this right now, he knew, it went against everything he'd learned about entertaining, but surely she could interest herself in something long enough for him to review a few things?

The pineapple computer whirred softly as he checked his email. Between replies, he glanced up to make sure that Michiko wasn't getting too bored. On the contrary, she had wandered off into the corner of the room that they had stowed the instruments from the rest of the room in and seemed quite content.

In one, halfhearted attempt at conversation, Kyoya looked over to where Michiko was gently touching the piano's keys, hands flitting up and down the scale methoically. "Do you play?"

Michiko's hand flew away from the keys in surprise. She shook her head. "No, I only know music theory. I just can't make the music sound right on an instrument." They lapsed once again into silence, Kyoya checking his email and his companion examining the long neglected instruments.

Fifteen minutes later, it was time for them to head down to the chairman's office. As they left the room, the guilt that had been gnawing persistently on Kyoya's conscience (yes, he has one!) finally drove him to bring up what they'd both avoided mentioning.

"I heard about the board's decision yesterday." It was a statement, not a question. And he'd fought hard to keep any inflection that might betray his opinion out of his voice, but it seemed that she understood, or at least assume that he didn't approve.

"They chose my uncle simply because your father instructed you to favor him. That was all it took to convince them, despite the failure of his artists and accounts. They _want_ the older one, the man to succeed. Frankly, I'm now sure they would have found another excuse if your father hadn't provided one." Michiko intoned, the slightest bit of frustration edging into her voice. Then, in a more defeated voice, she voiced her chief concern, one that Kyoya was quite familiar with. "I just don't know how I could possibly prove myself to them. They won't want to think that he can do anything wrong now that they've chosen him."

In all honesty, she had no idea why she was saying all of this. Normally, she would have remained silent, or given some simple, fairly neutral answer. But for whatever reason, she'd gone well beyond that.

As Michiko pondered her own decisions, Kyoya remembered the advice that he'd received. It seemed it was time to pass it on. Besides, he had an inkling as to how to make this situation work for him, which was all he needed to justify supporting his guest. "I'm the youngest of three sons. One of my friends asked me 'Who actually forbids you? If you can surpass your brothers, then go ahead! You are the one who isn't putting in enough effort. You are the one who's giving up without a fight.' I think the same applies to you and your uncle."

The blonde glared at him as they continued down the hall. "I am not giving up without a fight. I just haven't figured out the best plan of attack yet." Kyoya smiled a rare, unthreatening smile.

"Good. I think we actually drew the best lots. The fight to earn what we want keeps life interesting."

The doors to the chairman's office drew nearer as Michiko nodded thoughtfully. She was interrupted when Tamaki suddenly emerged from the office, chivvying his "subjects" out as he went.

"Kyoya! There you are! We've been looking all over for you! We even went to visit _him_ to find you! You should have waited for us, you know." Tamaki was obviously back to his normal high spirits.

The twins popped up from behind him and each slung an arm over one of Michiko's shoulders. Then, in perfect imitations of Tamaki's sanctimonious way of lecturing on being a good host, began to berate him. "Shame on you! You are neglecting the guest to scold Kyoya! You must remember the First Motto: Be Strong, Be Dignified, and Be Beautiful. You aren't being very dignified, are you?"

Tamaki threw himself to the floor to beg Michiko's forgiveness for the terrible slight just as his father opened the door to his office.

The chairman saw Kyoya first. "Kyoya! Oh good. I was just wondering where you and Miss Tezuka…" He trailed off as his gaze shifted to the scene behind Kyoya. Michiko was still sandwiched between the twins while Tamaki groveled before her. Hunny, Mori, and Haruhi where beyond them, watching with varying degrees of interest and exasperation.

"Miss Tezuka. It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady. I've met your grandmother, a lovely woman. I was absolutely distraught when I heard that she was ill. I hope my son and his friends haven't been too much trouble?"

Michiko smiled politely from between the twins before quickly lowering her shoulders to escape their grasp. "It's nice to meet you, sir. Your son and his friends came to help give me a tour of the school. They were no trouble at all." She assured him as she stepped subtly over one of Tamaki's outstretched arms.

"I'm glad."

Kyoya allowed Michiko to precede him into the chairman's office before following the man in himself. Mr. Suou paused near the door, trying to decide whether to wait for the rest of the club to come or to shut the door. He found that his decision had been made for him when he looked up to see Kyoya closing the door.

As the three inside the office made their way to chairs, they heard a dull thud. Tamaki and the twins had apparently not been able stop their headlong rush after them in time to avoid hitting the door.

They settled down for a short meeting while half of the Host Club sat outside the door nursing their injuries.

Haruhi turned to Mori, the only partially sane member of the club stuck outside with her. "So, the chairman really wants Michiko to come to the school? I thought someone from the Admissions office usually had these meetings with prospective students."

When Mori didn't answer right away, Hikaru piped up. "Her grandmother is the president of a powerful corporation of entertainment companies. She's in an Ootori hospital since their corporations work with each other sometimes. That's how Kyouya knows her. Michiko's the heiress."

"Really?"

"No." Tamaki stood up gingerly. "The Tezuka Board voted yesterday that Michiko's uncle will be president when his mother dies. They overruled her because Kyoya's father made him side with the uncle."

The twins looked stunned. "But he's useless!"

"And he has the worst fashion sense!"

Even Hunny and Mori looked a little surprised. Tamaki nodded solemnly. "And Kyoya feels guilty about it." The twins fell over laughing in disbelief. The more mature members even had the grace to look stunned. Tamaki continued; unaware of how unbelievable his last statement might have sounded. "Which is why _we_ are going to help her in any way possible to regain her throne!" If he could have instantly changed into his knight costume, Haruhi had a feeling he would have.

It looked like they were all in danger of getting dragged into another of Tamaki's schemes again…

--------

Sooooooooo sorry this took so long! Thank you so much for being good sports about it. I hope to be able to get the next chapter up much, much, much sooner.


	5. Game Plan

When Michiko Tezuka emerged from the chairman's office that afternoon, she left a signed student contract on top of a small pile of completed forms. The chairman had enjoyed their interview and assured her that she could take the admissions exam later as a formality, but that they would be glad to have her attend the school.

Two days later, she returned to the school for the start of term at her grandmother's behest, with the chairman's assurances that all she need do was let him know if anything came up that necessitated her absence for a few days. Despite his well-practiced tact, they both knew what situation would probably arise.

Clothed in her truly unfortunate uniform, Michiko waited for the class presidents in the chairman's office. His secretary was talking to her, undoubtedly about the special instructions given to her teachers that she be allowed to have her cell phone on or something equally obvious.

_Kyoya is one of the presidents. The other is Ayame Jonouchi. She's ranked third in the class and the top female student. Only Kyoya and Tamaki rank above her. I never would have imagined that he would do so well. It must grate on people's nerves._ She reflected on the people she was waiting for while the secretary chattered on. She pushed a few long bobby pins into place as inconspicuously as possible, trying not to appear too bored. At long last, the door opened to admit the students. 

The girl came forward quickly to shake her hand. "Hello. I'm Ayame Jonouchi, one of the two presidents of 2-A. This is Kyoya Ootori, he's the other president." She seemed straightforward enough, even a little aggressive. Michiko gave her a polite smile. It would be interesting to find out if that was typical of the president.

"It's nice to meet you, Ayame. I go by Michiko. Kyoya and I have met."

The other girl colored slightly and shot her co-president a reproachful glance, with he studiously ignored, instead turning to address the new student before him. "Are you ready?" He was met with a cool nod and in a matter of moments he and the two girls were walking down the hall toward their classroom.

When they arrived, Ayame preceded the other two into the classroom to speak to the teacher, who looked interestedly to the door before turning to address the class at large. "As some of you probably know, the presidents have just returned from collecting the newest member of your class." He gestured them in, and Michiko crossed to shake his hand. Having introduced himself in an undertone, the teacher turned back to the class. "This is Michiko Tezuka. I'm sure you'll all make her feel welcome."

The soft noise of whispering that filled the room even as the students nodded smilingly wasn't exactly welcoming, Michiko decided as the teacher pointed her to an empty desk near the center of the room. She glanced around the room, forming her first opinion of the class even as it did the same to her.

Tamaki waved from his desk just behind the vacant one as Michiko sat down. The new girl noticed that this precipitated a number of sharp looks from some of the girls in the class, undoubtedly Suou's customers. She smiled lightly back, but once she was seated and the teacher had resumed class, she shook her head. The Host Club's "King" didn't seem to be that with the program.

The blonde listened intently to the lecture on Japanese grammar for about five minutes before deciding that she'd already learned the topic well enough to let her mind wander a bit. She looked inconspicuously around the room, spotting Kyoya scribbling on his clipboard on top of his textbook a few rows to her left, and Ayame taking feverish notes beyond him.

Finding the class to be relatively uninteresting, and realizing that the teacher might notice if she didn't at least appear to be taking notes, Michiko began writing in her notebook. She had decided that the best way to prove herself to the Board would be to plan one of the more difficult events entrusted to one of the companies to be an amazing success. The execution itself needn't be too difficult, but the ideas would have to be new and quite spectacular.

By the end of the class, she had a long list of events that she could plausibly contrive to plan and run. Most of them had been scheduled with one of the event planning companies under the Tezuka Corporation for months; others were events that they expected to bid for in the near future. But there was one that stuck out to her.

_The Grand Opening of the first Ootori Rehabilitation and Relaxation Center in France._

It was one of the contracts that would be far more difficult than the others, executed to Yoshio Ootori's exacting and detail-oriented standards, if they won the bidding for the contract. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the event written in her notebook. That could be the opportunity she was looking for.

The rest of the school day passed uneventfully, a steady stream of new teachers and classes that varied only slightly in demeanor and difficulty. At lunch, she was shepherded to the dining hall by the two presidents, followed by the Host Club, which only served to slow their progress by attracting crowds and distracting Ayame, who insisted on staying with Michiko all day.

It wasn't until after school ended that the new student was able to bid her guide farewell. After that, she found herself at a surprising loss. She hadn't any idea how to while away the hour her grandmother had insisted she spend at school to adjust to the new environment. She also suspected that her grandmother still wanted her to spend more time away from the hospital and though she disliked the idea, her granddaughter knew better than to disobey.

Michiko thought idly about the extracurricular activities that the school offered, but could think of none that she was particularly interested in. She would much rather just find somewhere quiet to consider a plan of attack for winning the Ootori contract… Then, of course, the solution came to her. If she did nothing else, she could do a little of her own reconnaissance on the youngest member of the family.

She found the Third Music Room with little difficulty. The steady stream of female students was easy to follow. When she arrived, she saw the girls milling about around the corner from the door and turning around to return the way they'd come. As she made her way past them, Michiko heard the girls trying to predict what the theme for the day would be and wondering what it could be to make the Host Club open half an hour late. Some of the girls looked like they wanted to say something as they saw her round the corner, but decided to let her find out that the club was still closed for herself.

That, of course, was probably the other girls' plan, but it was not to be. When Michiko opened the door, she saw seven heads turn quickly to see who was at the door. Before she could completely process the scene before her, the darkened room, robed hosts, or multicolored flames, she was dragged into the room by no fewer than three of the room's occupants.

Tamaki greeted her shrilly. "Miss Tezuka, the lady of the hour! We were just discussing you! Please, have a seat." The blond dragged her over to the couch the others were sitting on and shooed the twins off to make room for their slightly bemused guest. Mori galloped in a split second later with Hunny on his back.

"Michiko, do you want to have some cake? Or hold Bun-bun? He always makes me feel better!" She shook her head politely, simultaneously looking for some island of sanity in what appeared to be a veritable ocean of the lack thereof.

Finally, her eyes came to rest on Haruhi, who was staring blankly at the five hosts still incoherently trying to put the older girl at ease, and Kyoya behind her, scribbling on a clipboard. When she glanced back down, she saw that the smallest Host was beginning to cry over her rejection of his rabbit and Tamaki had returned to looking at a blackboard covered in completely illegible writing. Before she could speak, she felt her hair fall free of the pins she had put in that morning. Looking up, she saw the twins throwing the bobby pins over their shoulders approvingly. "Much better, don't you think, Hikaru?"

Not normally one to plead for anything, Michiko turned back to the two relatively sane hosts. "Would someone explain what's going on here?" Haruhi sighed resignedly. Kyoya just smirked. "Please?"

"Upon hearing of your predicament, Tamaki decided to instruct the Host Club to help you 'regain your throne'. He was just outlining his plan." They both turned to the chalkboard grimly as Mori whisked Hunny away to comfort him with cake. The board looked like a pack of toddlers had been at it with a box of chalk.

"That's very kind of you, Tamaki. But does that really involve restyling my hair?" She gestured to the air above her, where the twins were indeed arguing over what hairstyle would be best for the "great quest".

Tamaki frowned at the redheads, who continued their conversation unperturbed. "No. My plan is quite simple. It simply-" and he was off again, outlining an outlandish plan involving the Ootori private police, a number of Cessnas, and a great amount of commoners' food. His audience's attention quickly wandered. Haruhi sat down on the couch as the twins moved away from the king's droning.

"Don't worry about them. They'll be after you about your glasses next if they don't get bored. They tried to get Kyoya to get contacts a few months ago." The younger girl explained in an undertone. "If covering up their disappearances wouldn't have been such a chore, he might have considered getting rid of them after a week or so."

The older girl smiled slightly at the idea before she stood up. "Thank you so much for coming up with that plan. I have the beginnings of a plan already, but I will be sure to ask you all if I need help implementing it." Tamaki began to protest, looking a little crestfallen, but he was quickly cut off when Michiko looked theatrically at her watch. "Oh, my! Look at the time! You should really let your customers in soon, before they think they're being neglected." This had the desired effect, sending most of the hosts hurrying to their stations while Haruhi hid the chalkboard.

Customers began pouring into the room, exclaiming over the elaborate setup that had been erected for the day's theme. Michiko found herself a seat off in the corner of the room to watch how the club operated. Kyoya intercepted the young ladies as they came through the doors, confirmed their designations, and sent them to the appropriate host. Once there, the girls practically fell over each other vying for the hosts' attention. It was a little sad to see, but the boys weren't unkind.

She was so taken up in discreetly watching the goings on that she only noticed at the last moment that Kyoya had come over to sit with her during a lull in the flow of customers. "So, may I hazard a guess as to your plan?" He asked, all calm self-assurance.

"What makes you think I want to talk about my plan with you?"

Kyoya grinned in the flickering purple light of the nearest candles. "Because if my guess is correct, you were going to have to involve my family eventually." The girl sighed, and Kyoya knew that the tables had turned since their tea. "I think that you plan to take on a major event that one of your companies is bidding for. A widely applauded success should gain you the attention you need when your uncle falters. As for the particular event, we're opening a new building soon."

"Oh, are you asking me to plan the opening? I'll have to consider it." She shot back with a piercing look. "Of course, you could benefit from all this too."

"You think I would even be here if there weren't a distinct possibility of that, Miss Tezuka?"

"Probably not. But my plan to take on a major event to gain acclaim is rather generic. Someone looking for recognition in another large conglomerate might benefit if he were to offer to be in charge of the guiding the company in the planning. And if he were seen to be working along the person that unexpectedly emerged as the head of the Tezuka Corporation, he would be praised for his foresight as well. But I wouldn't pressure anyone." Michiko glanced at her watch, then returned to her conversation, all pretense forgotten. "I have to return to the hospital. Think about it."

The blonde rose and walked to the door, followed by a pensive host. As she emerged into the light of the hall, she heard her name from the doorway. "Michiko." She turned, arching an eyebrow. "I'll speak to my father this evening." They both smiled slightly, each confident in the fact that they had made a useful ally, before Kyoya closed the door.

As he returned to managing the club, Kyoya reflected that Michiko might very well have been the first person to completely brush one of Tamaki's plans aside without mortally wounding the regal teen. As he looked around the bustling room with all of its potential for disaster, he found that on some level, he envied her that ability.

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Sorry, I went out of town again. X.x The next chapter _should_ be up soon. It's already mostly written. And it WILL have some significant fluff to make up for all of my long absences! Thanks for sticking with me!


	6. Some Comfort

Warning: I am not responsible for any adverse reactions amongst those allergic to fluff. You have been warned: this chapter contains fluff!

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It had been a week since her first visit to the Host Club, and Michiko was beginning to see the pieces fall into place. Whenever she had free time during the day, she mulled over what Kyoya had told her and the plans they had begun to lay down. He had spoken to his father who, though surprised by his youngest son's unprecedented aggressive approach to garnering approval, had given him the responsibility of making sure the opening went well.

After Kyoya had gotten his father's approval, Michiko began coming to the Host Club every afternoon to brainstorm ideas. Tamaki had been very inquisitive at first but he, like the other members of the club, quickly learned to leave the "evil geniuses" to their plotting undisturbed.

At present, they had mostly requirements supplied by Kyoya's father and ones they had come up with on their own. It had been decided that none of the tried-and-true themes and plans would create enough of a stir. They could have been much further in their planning, but there was that one pesky thing: school.

That's why Michiko was carefully working her way through the series of math problems that the teacher had assigned for in class work when she heard the soft chime of her cell phone. The other students who heard and whipped around to look caught a glimpse of panic on her usually composed face before she dropped her pencil and walked quickly from the room, barely slowing to shoot the teacher an apologetic look. There was only one reason that the phone would be ringing, and that meant there was little time to be lost.

The class watched as she left, thoroughly confused as to the reason for the new girl's sudden departure. Tamaki shot a very pronounced look of concern over at Kyoya, who was already reaching for his own cell phone. Sure enough, it too rang in a matter of seconds and he rose. This time, the teacher began to speak, but stopped abruptly as Kyoya handed him an official looking piece of paper and left the classroom without further explanation.

In the hallway, Michiko was leaning against the wall as she spoke on her phone. The other teen answered his call, listened briefly, and nodded. "Yes, right away." He was about to start down to the driveway when he realized that the patient's granddaughter was still on the phone.

He was surprised at what he saw when he turned to look behind him. Michiko's brow was furrowed, and she was chewing her bottom lip in a rather uncharacteristic display of anxiety as she listened. Finally, she sighed in defeat. "No, no, that doesn't make any sense. You stay at the airport. Bring her straight to the hospital. I'll call a car service or something. It'll take too long for you to come get me. No, it's not your fault. I'll see you there." She paused, her expression softening a little. "Thank you all."

Kyoya walked back to her. "What's going on?"

"My grandmother just went on life support, but you know that. My uncle saw fit to send my bodyguards with the car to pick my mother up from the airport. They're an hour away from here." She replied, her voice coming out a little tight.

"I'm going to the hospital now. You can ride with me." The girl nodded her thanks and followed him down to the driveway, where they met the Ootori car.

The ride seemed interminable. It was deathly quiet in the car as the sped toward the hospital. When they arrived, the blonde fairly leapt from the car and hurried into the building.

At 12:37, Hanajima Tezuka died of her third heart attack. At 12:39, Michiko Tezuka stepped out of the elevator, followed by a classmate.

When they reached the room to find the doctors standing outside, both teens knew something was very, very wrong. The lead doctor turned solemnly to the pair and uttered the phrase that every patient's loved one dreads. "Miss Tezuka, I'm very sorry, we did everything we could."

The doctor continued, but it was clear to everyone that the deceased's granddaughter was not registering what he said. He was just leading her away from the room to sit down when they heard the elevator arrive again. Looking up, they could see that Michiko's uncle was exiting the elevator.

Kyoya looked over to the blonde. She actually looked a little frightened of her adversary in her current state. It was clear that she did not want to be seen in her current state, with tears sitting in her eyes and quivering slightly. Gently, he touched her shoulder and gestured down the hall in the opposite direction. They walked in silence to the bank of elevators at the other end of the hall before Hanajima's heir saw them.

In the elevator, Kyoya fished a key from his pocket and inserted it into a slot, sending the elevator soaring to a floor just low enough to not be engulfed in the sound of med-evac helicopters. When the elevator stopped, he ushered his grieving classmate into the Ootori office, carefully avoiding her gaze as she brushed away the few tears on her face.

Soon, his guest was settled on a couch in the office while he made tea. He honestly didn't know exactly how to help her, but he wasn't just going to leave her in the office alone. Instinctively, or maybe it was all of the host training he'd heard Tamaki giving, he knew that that would be unacceptable.

Michiko took the tea from Kyoya and sipped tremulously it. She stared into the cup, struggling to hold back tears. Finally, she set the cup down and closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths in a last ditch effort to control herself. She was succeeding, Kyoya noticed from his seat, when her cell phone rang. The girl leapt up and seized the phone from her pocket, only to have it slip from her hand and skitter across the floor.

This, it seemed, was all Michiko could take. The tears she had been so carefully holding back leapt from her eyes and she gave a gasping sob. Only then did Kyoya realize exactly what she had lost. Her grandmother had been her role model, mentor, and the only parental figure she'd really known. And now this pillar of strength was gone. He rose from his seat and carefully crossed to stand next to the sobbing girl. His host instincts were definitely taking over now.

Hesitantly, he reached up and patted her back. To his astonishment, Michiko leaned against him, allowing herself to be comforted. Neither one of them had expected this, and Michiko knew, in the back of her mind, that she'd never have reacted like that if she hadn't been so upset. But, as it were, she soon found herself crying into the front of his school blazer with his arms wrapped around her. They both knew that they'd have to deal with the consequences later, but for now, it was the right thing to do.

And that is how, a very few minutes later, Yoshio Ootori found them.



So… fluffy enough? I know Michiko's a little weepy, but she'll snap out of it soon! I promise. I strongly disliked having to write her that way, but she's not so heartless as to not cry over her grandmother's death!


	7. A New Resolve

Michiko took the tea from Kyoya and sipped tremulously. She stared into the cup, struggling to hold back tears. Finally, she set the cup down and closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths in a last ditch effort to control herself. She was succeeding, Kyoya noticed from his seat, when her cell phone rang. The girl leapt up and seized the phone from her pocket, only to have it slip from her hand and skitter across the floor.

This, it seemed, was all Michiko could take. The tears she had been so carefully holding back leapt from her eyes and she gave a gasping sob. Only then did Kyoya realize exactly what she had lost. Her grandmother had been her role model, mentor, and the only parental figure she'd really known. And now this pillar of strength was gone. He rose from his seat and carefully crossed to stand next to the sobbing girl. His host instincts were definitely taking over now.

Hesitantly, he reached up and patted her back. To his astonishment, Michiko leaned against him, allowing herself to be comforted. Neither one of them had expected this, and Michiko knew, in the back of her mind, that she'd never have reacted like that if she hadn't been so upset. But, as it were, she soon found herself crying into the front of his school blazer with his arms wrapped around her. They both knew that they'd have to deal with the consequences later, but for now, it was the right thing to do.

And that is how, a very few minutes later, Yoshio Ootori found them.

The older man stopped in the doorway, quickly taking in the scene. The woman behind him did not have the same degree of patience. She slipped past and hurried into the room, casting around for the girl she'd been told would be there.

The teenagers sprang apart as the brunette woman rushed into the room. "Michi! Darling, are you alright?" The two Ootoris saw the girl's wince as she was engulfed in an embrace. Kyoya very nearly followed suit when his father subtly gestured him out of the room. This could be an interesting discussion.

"Mrs. Santonio, we'll leave you alone for a while."

The woman looked up, her heavy makeup running down her face. "Thank you, Mr. Ootori." She gushed, before turning back to her captive. Kyoya and his father rode the elevator down to the manager's office in silence.

Once he was comfortably settled behind the manager's desk, Yoshio Ootori turned to the window. "Disgusting." He muttered, clearly referring to Mrs. Santonio's conduct, before turning back to his son. "It seems that club of yours has been helpful to you in more than one sense. Keep it quiet and we'll have a good insurance policy if the girl manages some sort of miracle. Though it might take something less, several large packets of shares in the Tezuka Corp. went on the market not long before the heart attack. In any event, they need to start on the funeral arrangements. Round them up and bring them to the executive conference room."

Kyoya was taken aback by his father's reaction. He'd been certain that he'd be admonished for seeming friendly with the girl his father had so recently dismissed as irrelevant. Instead, the patriarch assumed that Kyoya had thought up the relationship as part of some singularly manipulative plan. Quickly weighing the pros and cons and calculating the chances of their plan's success on his way to the door, Kyoya decided to speak up.

"Whether the situation calls for it or not, I believe she has a miracle planned."

His father looked up from his systematic search of the hospital manager's desk. "Is that so?" Kyoya nodded and excused himself, leaving his father to contemplate the two young, dark horses that had arrived in the race for the next generation's executives as he continued his search.

When Kyoya exited the office, it was to find his three bodyguards waiting outside. "You three, go downstairs and bring Mr. Tezuka to the executive conference room. I'll go get Mrs. Santonio and Miss Tezuka and bring them down as well."

As the elevator reached the Ootori office and the doors slid open, Kyoya heard Michiko's infinitely calm voice cut through the air in the next room. "No. I just moved to a new school, I do not want to move to a new country as well. We've tried this before, remember? You were never at home for more than a week at a time. Here I have the people at the house, my school, some friends, and an opportunity to be involved in the company."

Kyoya rounded the corner just in time to see Mrs. Santonio, who he was coming to understand was Michiko's wayward mother, stand up to face her daughter. "You have no chance against Shino, Michi. And even if I'm not home for more than a week at a time, your grandmother won't be there at all."

Michiko stepped back at her mother's venomous tone and cruel words. She was spared the necessity of responding when they both heard someone clear his throat from the doorway. Kyoya stepped forward with a carefully blank expression.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but my father was hoping to speak to you both in the executive conference room downstairs." Michiko's mother visibly blanched and begged a moment to fix her makeup, leaving the teens waiting for her on the couch.

"Did he tell you what he wanted to speak to you about?" The blonde asked after a moment of slightly awkward silence.

Her ally shook his head. "But he indicated that he didn't think your uncle is going to be very successful. I told him you had a miracle up your sleeve, if you're here to carry it out."

A rueful smile crossed Michiko's lips at this. "I will be. I have no intention of moving to Spain to live with my mother and stepfather. She'll appreciate that once the funeral's over. Every few years she has a month or so when she's really concerned about me and then she just drifts off again. "

"I'm glad you're so determined. I might have had to interfere if you'd been willing to leave me holding the bag."

Kyoya smiled as a much cleaner Mrs. Santonio joined them. "Don't let her faze you. We have to focus or the wrong people win, right?" He said under his breath as they stood and turned to the woman. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to introduce myself earlier, ma'am. My name is Kyoya Ootori, my father owns the hospital. Your daughter and I are classmates at Ouran High School."

Hanajima's daughter nodded regally, giving the young man a thorough once over. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Ayame Santonio. I've met your father and brothers, of course, but that was years ago." Kyoya led them back to the elevator and down to the conference room, all the while pretending to listen to the woman's incessant chatter. He was rapidly deciding that she and her daughter could hardly have been more different.

When they reached the meeting, Shino Tezuka was waiting for them at the door. He embraced his once-again tearful sister and led her into the room, utterly ignoring his niece and their guide. Before they settled into chairs in the somber room, a woman Kyoya vaguely recognized blocked their path further into the room.

"Miss Michiko, Yuuta is waiting outside. If you'd like, you can go visit with her. Otherwise it might be wise of you to go tell the chairman of your school that you'll be out for a few days. There's not much you can do here, miss. Thank you for bringing her here, Master Ootori." If looks could kill, the one Michiko was giving them would have certainly killed Shino Tezuka and Ms. Sherman as the woman chivvied the students from the room.

In the hall, Michiko continued to glower at the closed door, as though expecting it to just give up and crumble before her fury. At long last, she turned from the closed doors and followed a silent Kyoya back to the lobby and the waiting car.

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Back at the school, Tamaki had reluctantly hurried to his father to hear the news. Upon hearing of Michiko's grandmother's death, he hastened to tell his subjects. Oblivious (for the most part) that they were not exactly the type of people Michiko would want to be around so soon after her grandmother's death, the hosts closed the club for the afternoon to go visit their newest almost-client.

To their great surprise, Michiko was not at her grandmother's home near the school and when Haruhi finally thought to call Kyoya, they heard that she had returned to school to speak to the chairman.

Needless to say, the chairman was surprised to see her so soon. Calmly, she explained that she would return to school in a day or two, but requested to be allowed to wear black in place of the normal yellow uniform.

"Miss. Tezuka, the school's policy is to allow students who have recently lost close family members to miss up to two weeks of school. It won't be necessary for you to return so soon, though if you wish to, you are welcome to wear mourning for as long as you would like." He assured her.

She shook her head. "Thank you, but sitting at home crying won't do me any good. All I can do is keep moving according to her plans for me, which included getting an excellent education. I will see you in a few days. Thank you for your time, Mr. Suoh."

She'd thought abot it but, in all her pragmatism, she didn't see the benefit of staying out of school for a long time. She was devastated that her grandmother had died, but she'd been expecting it. Life would keep moving, and if she didn't keep up, she'd be failing her grandmother.

When the befuddled chairman showed her out of his office, Michiko did not leave the school. Instead, she walked to the Host Club's meeting room and sat down at one of the tables.

"So, are you ready to start nailing things down for this opening?"

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A/N:

A "dark horse" is a term in used to describe someone running for a position for which he or she had not been previously considered a likely choice.

Sorry it took me so long to publish, school and our school play happened, so I haven't been able to write much.


	8. Chandeleirs and Pianists

I had totally forgotten about this story until someone added it to his or her favorites list recently (THANK YOU!). I'm suffering slight writer's block from being away from the story, but I think this chapter turned out okay. Hope you enjoy!

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An hour after Michiko arrived in the music room, the two whirring laptops displayed the options for themes with their respective pros and cons. Michiko sat back from her keyboard and scanned her screen one more time.

"I like the 'Return to the Classics' theme. My uncle specializes in putting guests with popular celebrities for photo opportunities, but his events generally lack finesse. They're more likely to be looked upon as obligations than true celebrations. The theme could provide a favorable contrast."

Kyoya nodded as he opened a photo gallery of the older man's events and began flipping through the pictures. "You're right, all of these photographs look very staged. There's no indication that the attendants are particularly enjoying themselves. A French spin on the theme could help to differentiate the staff from the guests."

"I suppose we could base it on a famous work about France. A book or a play or something. There's A Tale of Two Cities."

"Or The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It might be easier to decorate for." Kyoya suggested, quickly typing the ideas into his laptop. "Les Miserables is an option as well." The two were so immersed in their brainstorming that they didn't hear the doors open, or see the heads peeking around them.

The blonde looked up at him suddenly, inspiration clear on her normally blank face. "_The Phantom of the Opera._" She offered, carefully watching for her companion's reaction. He blinked, then allowed himself a small, triumphant smirk.

"Yes. That would do quite nicely. The wait staff can wear masks like the cast during the masquerade. My father enjoys the performance immensely when it's performed well. He'll appreciate the idea." Kyoya seemed almost openly enthusiastic about the plan as Michiko began running through a list of ideas.

"We'll need an orchestra to play the score from the show, of course. And they'll need to be able to play some more standard dance music as well. I noticed that in the pictures of the ballroom there's a very fine chandelier. That will lend to the theme. It would also be a nice touch if we could get actors to dress up as certain characters from the story. I'll have to look into th-"

At this, Tamaki could not contain himself anymore. Eluding Haruhi's attempts to hold him back, he almost sprinted into the room to join the other teens at the table. The other members of the club followed him with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"Miss Tezuka, you must allow us to offer our services as actors! We can easily portray any characters you assign us to help you in your noble quest to reclaim your throne from your evil uncle!" The boy knelt next to Michiko, who looked as shocked to see him as Kyoya felt. He'd been sure that the idiot would just go home.

Much to his surprise, Michiko just laughed lightly. "You make this sound like _Hamlet._ Trust me, it's not quite that dramatic." Tamaki seemed to visibly wilt at her words, but perked right back up when she turned to Kyoya. "What do you think, should we let them portray the characters? I can get some of our singers to come in to sing the score, but this way they'd be free to mingle as celebrities more than characters."

Haruhi, watching from across the room, was stunned to see that the smile Kyoya allowed himself at the idea was far from the "Devil's smile" she was so used to. As she stared, she saw Kyoya nod and Tamaki came flying across the room to her.

"Kyoya and Michiko are allowing us to portray characters from _The Phantom of the Opera_ at the opening they're planning! They are choosing our characters as we speak!" He crowed happily. "You of course, will be the beautiful Christine. I only wonder whether I shall be cast as the brooding Phantom or the gallant Raoul. Which do you think?"

The girl stared up at Tamaki as he struck poses, clearly trying to alternate between brooding and gallant. "Tamaki-senpai, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What?!? You poor deprived girl!" The majority of the Host Club crowded around their token commoner, all trying at once to explain the plot, make plans for her to see it, and explain their ideas on the show. Across the room, Kyoya and Michiko got the impression that she would have a very distorted idea of their theme by the time the club was done with her.

"I does make the most sense for Haruhi to be Christine. Can she sing at all?" Kyoya actually laughed at the question, remembering the last time he'd heard Haruhi try to sing.

"No, she can't. Remind me to lend you the film of that, it's actually quite amusing. The twins ought to be the managers, though you will have to tell them that the 'brotherly love' act will have to take a rest for the evening. And because Tamaki's something of a fop himself…"

"Oh, there's no question. Tamaki will be Raoul. So that leaves the Phantom unaccounted for and Mori, Hunny, and you as actors. Who should it be? I mean, I suppose you might fit the criteria better, but I'm not sure what to do with Mori…"

She trailed off at the glare she was receiving before laughingly typing Mori and Hunny's names next to the Phantom and his cat, Ayesha. Kyoya just continued to eye his companion warily. Was she actually _teasing_ him?

"I will be content to attend as myself, thank you. I take it you'll be going as Madame Giry? She is the female character that essentially runs the theater, after all." If she was going to tease him, what was to stop him from returning the favor?

The blonde tilted her head slightly at the thought. "Yes, I suppose she is. But no, I believe I'll be joining you in going uncostumed. It wouldn't do either of us much good to let people think that the Phantom and Madame Giry planned this opening, now would it?"

Kyoya shook his head seriously. "No, it wouldn't." He gestured the others over and handed Tamaki a hastily written list. "There are your roles. Haruhi, make sure you at least read the book and watch the new film."

Tamaki cut in before his "daughter" could speak. "Don't worry, we're all going to the twins' house to watch it now!" He declared, shepherding the rest of his club towards the doors exuberantly.

Once the doors had swung closed on the club, Haruhi stopped and turned to Tamaki warily. "Why are we going to the twins' house tonight, why not wait until the weekend?" She demanded. Tamaki glanced over Hunny, who grinned up at the girl, not quite hiding the maturity of his thought process.

"Michiko is a good influence on Kyoya, isn't she?"

Inside, the pair had returned to their computers, oblivious to the conversation going on nearby. "There's an orchestra in Spain that my grandmother used when we a movie filmed there. I'll see if they're available to come into France for the opening."

When Michiko looked up to gauge her partner's reaction, she was surprised to see a thoughtful expression on his face. "Is something wrong?" She asked, suddenly unsure.

Kyoya blinked. "Oh no, of course not. But…" He paused, clearly teetering on the edge of asking something. At long last, he continued. "Would you mind if I supplied the pianist?"

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Ha. Clearly my writer's block isn't as bad as I thought it was, I just had a brilliant idea. Though I'm sure you'll all pick up on it right away…Please, consider reviewing, I could really use your feedback.


	9. The Home Stretch

It's LATE, I know, but I had computer troubles, then my little sister got sick, and then I had midterms so this was postponed forever. But, to make up for it, this chapter moves very quickly and is actually quite fluffy. It helps if you've read Chapter 23 recently, but really, it's not that important. Huzzah, all hail the fluffiness!!!

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**Previously**

Once the doors had swung closed on the club, Haruhi stopped and turned to Tamaki warily. "Why are we going to the twins' house tonight, why not wait until the weekend?" She demanded. Tamaki glanced over Hunny, who grinned up at the girl, not quite hiding the maturity of his thought process.

"Michiko is a good influence on Kyoya, ne?"

Inside, the pair had returned to their computers, oblivious to the conversation going on nearby. "There's an orchestra in Spain that my grandmother used when we a movie filmed there. I'll see if they're available to come into France for the opening."

When Michiko looked up to gauge her partner's reaction, she was surprised to see a thoughtful expression on his face. "Is something wrong?" She asked, suddenly unsure.

Kyoya blinked. "Oh no, of course not. But…" He paused, clearly teetering on the edge of asking something. At long last, he continued. "Would you mind if I supplied the pianist?"

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When they looked back at the preparations, the two months leading up to the opening would seem a blur, with perhaps the odd vivid memory here or there.

Kyoya remembered placing a very important phone call after the decision about the theme had been made. The pianist had answered courteously and, once Kyoya had introduced himself and explained his reasons for calling, agreed wholeheartedly to perform.

Ayame Jonouchi made herself memorable two days after Michiko returned, when they received scores on a Western Literature test. She was so incensed when she found that Michiko had ranked second in the class (a single point below Kyoya's score) that she sought her out in the Host Club Room and accused her of….. What now?

Two weeks later, Michiko and Kyoya found themselves swamped with RSVP's to the opening. They were overwhelmingly affirmative, but that was really due to the Ootoris' renown. Now their real task began.

Michiko spent afternoons meeting with representatives from different parts of her corporation to confirm which artists would be available to appear and to perform and generally acting as the hub of all communications.

She set up shop off to one side of the doors of the Third Music Room. Her presence became so natural to the club that within a week of the first RSVP's arrival, the twins had begun ritualistically stealing her bobby pins every morning. Within two weeks, they had kidnapped their newest honorary member and proceeded to measure her for a costume so she would fit in more.

The next day, the twins presented the club with their Egyptian themed costumes for the next week: a pharaoh for Tamaki, entertainers for the twins, members of the court for Hunny, Mori, and Haruhi, a court scribe for Kyoya and, despite the historical inaccuracy, an additional, female scribe's costume for Michiko, which she indulgently donned.

While Michiko worked from her corner of the music room, Kyoya agreed to take care of finding a company in France to handle decorating for the opening. When they weren't occupied with their respective parts of the process, they often found themselves staving off the requisite busybodies. Insider papers had caught wind of the opening and were busily attempting to glean any information they could on the party.

Fortunately for the young planners, they had a moderately accomplished team of anti-paparazzi experts readily available: The Host Club. Tamaki was all too happy to head up "Operation Keep the Evil Masterminds' Super Top Secret Plans Safe", though parts of his team were less than thrilled at his code name: Operation Princely Stealth.

On the whole, Operation Princely Stealth went very well. The twins were largely responsible for the rumors that the décor would be a combination of circus clown and funeral motifs, cunningly named "The Death of Humor". The "evil masterminds" were not particularly amused.

"Do you think they're trying to tell us something?" Michiko asked as she glanced at the pages the twins had ripped from catalogs and strategically placed for the reporters to find.

Her partner picked up a page depicting a rare two-for-one sale on coffins. "Just in case they are, I think we'll have to save this, don't you?" Behind a nearby bush, the twins paled as Kyoya slipped the advertisement into his briefcase.

Only Haruhi, who was trapped in between the twins, recognized the irony that Kyoya and Michiko delighted in as they laughed.

Besides fending off the common paparazzi, they found themselves thwarting Shino Tezuka's attempts to find out about the plans for the opening.

Yuuta Tezuka became something of a fixture in the music room, not-so-covertly trying to wheedle details from the hosts. It took the girl two weeks to get a hold of Michiko's laptop. When she finally did, she spent twenty minutes trying to guess the password before Hunny and Mori came in and dragged her off to eat cakes. It was then, with a week left before they flew to France and in the midst of the final preparations, that Kyoya remembered bringing Tamaki a piano score to learn for the opening because the pianist needed someone to help with a piano duet.

The friends were walking back to the Third Music Room after a Host Club event in the school's gardens when Kyoya proffered the hefty score. Tamaki leapt at the opportunity to help, as Kyoya had known he would, and the blond spent the rest of the walk back humming the score as he read it avidly.

When they arrived at the music room, they found Michiko with her chin resting uncharacteristically on the table she'd commandeered, staring at a sheaf of papers held out at arm's length in front of her. When she noticed them standing in the doorway, she straightened up immediately and stuffed the papers out of sight.

"Is your event over already? It's only" She paused and glanced at her laptop off to the side of the table and blinked. "6:00? Oh, I suppose you would be done then. I should have gotten so much more done…" She looked around the table, slightly panicked.

Tamaki, as frequently as he experienced it, could spot panic a mile away and quickly rushed over to the "damsel in distress" and tried to diffuse the situation. "I know! Why don't I play the music Kyoya gave me for the opening?" Michiko nodded a little and began gathering her papers.

Encouraged, Tamaki leapt off to the piano to play, but not before shooting a scolding look at Kyoya that said, quite clearly "Don't just stand there!" On the receiving end of the glare, Kyoya found himself trying to figure out what to do. Michiko was clearly getting stressed over the opening, so the solution was, just as clearly, to help her calm down. But how? The girls that frequented the host club never seemed to have any concerns. Upon reflection, Kyoya realized that, by and large, when he was stressed people seemed to get out of his way, which suited him, but usually let him stress alone for a few more hours. Tamaki was usually the only exception to the rule.

As she listened to Tamaki play, Michiko continued pack her papers away. As she picked up the last few papers she'd hidden earlier, she felt a hand on her shoulder pull her back in her chair. When she looked up, Kyoya was standing there. "You're just going to make yourself sick. Then where will I be?" He chided, cautiously massaging her shoulders.

"You're right, of course." She admitted, relaxing hesitantly. "But really, do you think I'd let getting sick stop me?"

"No, but I'd hate for you to be the first guest that needed the Center's services." Kyoya smiled as his comment earned a laugh and Tamaki's music stopped.

The half-Frenchman bounded over happily, brandishing the score and Kyoya stepped away to pick up a page of music that had fallen to the floor. "Did that sound alright?" He asked, smiling brightly. Michiko couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes, it sounded wonderful. I wasn't aware that you played the piano." She commented as she stowed her last few pages and picked up her bag. "When did you start learning?"

Tamaki chattered away excitedly, telling how he'd played the piano for his ailing mother as the three left the music room. When they reached the cars in front of the building, Tamaki almost sprinted to his car.

Kyoya turned to his remaining companion, shaking his head at his friend's bizarre behavior. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Sleep, alright?"

Michiko went to the door of her car and nodded. "I will." She started to get into her car, but turned back. "And Kyoya? Thank you."

The host returned her genuine smile as he got into his own car, stunning his team of bodyguards.

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Tada. I tried to let everything hang together loosely. When you remember things, you basically remember major events and, when you really think about it, you remember the rest, which is basically the feeling I was going for here. Did you enjoy the fluff? I did!


End file.
